Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) and Congressman Mike Flood (NE-01) introduced the Build Housing Affordably Act, bipartisan legislation to prevent federal requirements from delaying or driving up costs on affordable housing projects.
The Act would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to examine the impacts of its expanded implementation of “Build America, Buy America” — a key part of the 2021 infrastructure law requiring building materials be made in the USA — to a range of housing programs, which has sparked concern over increased costs and construction delays for new affordable homes.
The legislation also narrowly pauses these rules to allow housing providers to swiftly address the housing crisis while the requirements are assessed.
“New Hampshire is in a full-blown housing crisis, and hardworking people are paying the price every month in higher rents and home prices they cannot afford,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “Right now, a single federal rule is senselessly jacking up costs and adding massive delays to the urgent mission before us: building the tens of thousands of homes the people of New Hampshire urgently need. Our bipartisan Build Housing Affordably Act cuts needless red tape that is standing in our way and paves the way for affordable homes, built much sooner, at a lower cost to the Granite Staters who need them.”
“Across the country, and especially in Nebraska, the shortage of affordable housing options is making life more expensive for families,” said Congressman Flood (R-NE). “Our bipartisan Build Housing Affordably Act cuts the government red tape and bureaucracy standing in the way of building homes American families can afford. Congress is making real progress on addressing the rising cost of home ownership, and this bill keeps us moving toward a future where an affordable home is once again within reach for every family.”
Affordable housing developments frequently rely on layered financing from federal, state, local, and private sources. When a federal requirement changes material sourcing, compliance documentation, or waiver timing after financing is assembled, delays in one part of the process can threaten the entire project. The Build Housing Affordably Act is designed to prevent those disruptions by requiring HUD to produce data before broader implementation and by giving housing providers a predictable waiver process.
The legislation does not repeal Build America, Buy America. Instead, it requires HUD to show how the policy is affecting affordable housing production before imposing additional costs and delays on projects that already operate on tight budgets and strict construction timelines.
The bill has garnered broad support from affordable housing advocates across New Hampshire.
“The NH Home Builders Association applauds the bi-partisan approach Congresswoman Goodlander takes in pursuing ways to bring housing costs down. Her efforts to look critically at BABA in terms of residential construction is paramount in these affordability efforts. Our members tell us that BABA is inadvertently adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to construction costs. We are thankful to Representative Goodlander for engaging our members in this conversation, listening to our concerns and acting on that data,” said Matt Mayberry, CEO of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association.
“The Build America Buy America Act, as currently implemented, has presented serious challenges for those working to meet the housing needs of Granite Staters with federal funds. We are grateful to Congresswoman Goodlander and Congressman Flood for introducing this legislation to streamline and expedite the BABA review and approval process,” said Rob Dapice, Executive Director and CEO of New Hampshire Housing.
"New Hampshire’s affordable housing shortage demands urgency,” said Nick Taylor, Executive Director of Housing Action NH. “Affordable housing projects contain more than 1,500 individual components, many of which simply are not manufactured in the United States. As a result, developers are spending valuable time and resources navigating compliance and BABA waiver processes instead of building homes. While we support the goal of strengthening domestic manufacturing, federal housing programs must be designed to work in the real world and deliver results for Granite Staters. Right now, these requirements are driving up costs, delaying projects, and reducing the number of affordable homes that can be built with scarce public resources. We thank Representatives Maggie Goodlander and Mike Flood for introducing the Build Housing Affordably Act, which takes a practical, bipartisan approach to ensuring federal housing dollars produce as many affordable homes as possible.”
Goodlander has made lowering housing costs a top priority in Congress. Last month, she helped pass H.R. 6644, the 21st-Century ROAD to Housing Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding access to financing for building and renovating homes, cutting down on antiquated bureaucracy that fuels the housing shortage, and improving implementation of Build America, Buy America requirements for the HOME program.
Goodlander has worked to address a number of factors driving sky-high housing costs. She has helped introduce bipartisan legislation to expand financing for accessory dwelling units and affordable housing development, supported cracking down on corporate landlords and private equity firms that drive up rents and home prices, and backed efforts to increase housing supply and make homeownership more accessible for working families, seniors, and first-time buyers.
The following groups support the Build Housing Affordably Act: Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Council for Affordable and Rural Housing (CARH), Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), Council of State Community Development Associations (COSCDA), Enterprise Community Partners, Habitat for Humanity International, Housing Advisory Group, Housing Partnership Network (HPN), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), National Affordable Housing Management Association, National Apartment Association (NAA), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA), National Association of REALTORS (NAR), National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF), National Community Development Association (NCDA), National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), National Housing & Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA), National Housing Trust, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), National NeighborWorks Association, Novogradac, Public Housing Authority Directors Association (PHADA), Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), and Up for Growth Action.
The full bill text is available here.
